MR. McCLELLAN: Good afternoon. Hope everybody had a good July 4th
weekend. And with that, I will go straight to your questions today.
Helen.

Q Does the President feel that he had enough information about
weapons to take this nation to war?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think you heard directly from the President
earlier today in the Oval Office, following his meeting with Prime
Minister Oddsson. The President talked about how Saddam Hussein was a
threat. It was a threat that was real --

Q -- was a threat how?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, we have learned since going into Iraq and
removing that regime from power that the regime certainly had the
intent and capability when it comes to weapons of mass destruction --

Q What do you mean by intent?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the Iraq Survey Group, that was previously
headed by David Kay and is now headed by Charles Duelfer, has looked
into the issues and showed that Saddam Hussein was in serious and clear
violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441. That
resolution, you'll recall, called for serious consequences if Saddam
Hussein --

Q It didn't call for war.

MR. McCLELLAN: It gave him one final opportunity to comply, or
face serious consequences if he continued to defy the international
community. And the world is better off without Saddam Hussein in
power.

Q Do you know how vague you sound on that?

MR. McCLELLAN: And you heard that directly from the President of
the United States earlier today.

Go ahead, John.

Q With -- and I'm not sure about this, but while there are some
rules and a commission to govern presidential debates, it's not so
clear about the vice presidential debate. In 1980, the elder George
Bush and Vice President Mondale did not have a televised debate, for
example. Is Vice President Cheney committed to debate Senator
Edwards?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think those are all part of the discussions that
are going on now with the Presidential Commission on Debates, and those
discussions are underway. Obviously, you probably want to direct those
questions to the campaign and they can probably update you further. If
I recall, in 2000 there was a vice presidential debate between Vice
President Cheney and Senator Lieberman. And as you heard earlier
today, the President said he looks forward to a spirited and honest
debate on the issues. And the Vice President, as well, looks forward
to a spirited discussion of the issues, and he called Senator Edwards
earlier this morning and welcomed him to the race, congratulated him on
being selected. And the Vice President indicated that he looked
forward to the debate and a spirited campaign.

Q Scott, on that point, the President has talked about changing
the tone in Washington, to making the debate more civil. But the
Republican National Committee put out this statement on Edwards,
calling him "disingenuous and unaccomplished." The Bush-Cheney
campaign put out talking points saying that Senator Edwards "delivers
his pessimism with a southern drawl and a smile." Is that helpful?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I mean, is there something in there you're
disputing? (Laughter.) I think it's perfectly reasonable to talk
about the differences on the issues and to talk about the record. And
I think that's what you're seeing being discussed here by the campaign
and by the RNC. The President believes that we should focus on the
policy differences and focus on the leadership styles, and that's what
he will continue to do as we move forward on this campaign.

Q So you're agreeing with those statements then, that he is
disingenuous and unaccomplished?

MR. McCLELLAN: Like I said, it's perfectly legitimate to talk
about the issues and the differences on those issues, as well as to
discuss the record. There are individuals in this race who have
records, and those records are a reflection of how they would lead in
office.

Q You don't seen this as personal attacks, you see this as
policy --

MR. McCLELLAN: Suzanne, there are clear choices in this election,
and the President wants the discussion to focus on the issues and the
differences on those issues. There are clear choices and there are
clear philosophical differences for the voters, come November. And the
President will keep this focused on the issues and talking about his
positive vision for the way forward for our country.

Q So you don't have a problem with the language and the tone?

MR. McCLELLAN: Like I said, it's perfectly legitimate to talk
about the issues and the differences and to talk about the record.

Q Can I follow in that vein? Has the President ever had a word
with the Vice President about his use of profanity in the United States
Senate?

MR. McCLELLAN: Ed, I've previously discussed this issue. This
issue came up while we were, I believe, in Ireland, and I addressed it
at that point. And that's where it stands.

Q So the answer is, no, the President has not --

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the President has regular conversations with
the Vice President.

Q But about that issue?

Q Scott, why is the President going to Edwards' home state
tomorrow?

MR. McCLELLAN: He is going there to -- two things. One, he will
be going there to meet with some of his judicial nominees in North
Carolina. And then he will go to Michigan later in the day to meet
with some of his judicial nominees whose confirmation hearings and
votes have been blocked by a small number of Democrats in the United
States Senate.

There are nine nominees that he will meet with tomorrow altogether,
in North Carolina and Michigan -- there are three, I believe, in North
Carolina and nine in Michigan. Six of the nine seats in those two
states have been declared judicial emergencies. And eight of the nine
seats in North Carolina and Michigan have been open for more than 100
days because there are some Senate Democrats who continue to use
obstructionist tactics and delay an up or down vote on these nominees.
These nominees are well-qualified and the President believes that they
should have an up or down vote in the Senate. That is the
responsibility of the Senate, to give these nominees an up or down
vote. So he will be talking about this important priority. He will
also be going there to attend some Victory 2004 receptions.

Q Scott, how many total nominees are outstanding?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know the exact number, Bob. I'm still
working on gathering that information for you. But there are a number
that are still pending that have been designated a judicial emergency.
And, certainly, you are seeing an increase in the number of court cases
in the federal courts. And it's important that these nominees that the
President has selected receive an up or down vote, and that the Senate
stop playing politics with those nominees.

Q Speaking of your nominees, one of them is coming up for vote
today. Jay Leon Holmes is up for a federal district bench seat in
Arkansas. It's very unusual for nominees to the federal district court
to be contested, and, yet, this one is. And, in fact, there's word
that some Republican senators are lobbying against this nominee,
including Kay Bailey Hutchison. How does the President feel that his
fellow Texan and fellow Republican is lobbying against his nominee?

MR. MCCLELLAN: Well, let me point out that Leon Holmes is a
highly-qualified and highly-respected nominee who would be an
outstanding addition to the district court in the Eastern District of
Arkansas. The American Bar Association has given him a well-qualified
rating. Both Senators from the state of Arkansas, who are Democrats,
have expressed their strong support for his nomination. And so we will
continue to reach out to all members of the Senate. They are expected
to vote on him this week, and we are hopeful that they will confirm his
nomination. The President believes he is well-qualified to be in this
position.

Q Is it your understanding that there are some Republicans
lobbying against the President's nominee?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, if there are, we'll continue to have
discussions with those members and talk to them about the importance of
giving -- of confirming this highly-qualified nominee.

Q And is there -- just to follow on Norah's question, is there
any timing issue in connection with tomorrow's visit to North
Carolina? Is that completely coincidence in --

MR. McCLELLAN: Yes. Like I said earlier today -- I think someone
asked me -- I said, we get credit for a lot of things, but that's not
one that I think you should give us credit for. (Laughter.) We didn't
see that well in advance.

Terry, go ahead.

Q You said that you don't take -- you don't have any objection
to the RNC's characterization of Senator Edwards. What kind of -- what
do you consider out of bounds?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think what I said was that it's perfectly
legitimate to talk about the differences on the issues and it's
perfectly legitimate to talk about the record. And the President will
continue to focus on the issues and talk about his vision for where he
wants to lead America, and his vision for building upon our efforts to
make the world a safer and better place and make America more secure.

Q I guess it's the way you describe the differences. And my
question is, what would be out of bounds? What do you consider out of
bounds?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I mean, that's kind of a speculative
question, Terry. I think that it's -- like I said, I would describe it
as, if you're talking about issues and the record, those are perfectly
legitimate things to discuss. Voters deserve to know what the choices
and the differences are in an election. That's what elections are
about. And there are clear choices and clear philosophical differences
in this election. The President, as you heard earlier today, said he
welcomes Senator Edwards to the race and he looks forward to having a
spirited discussion on the issues.

Q Well, what kind of a -- how does the President intend to run
against the Kerry/Edwards ticket? Does this -- does Edwards make it
easier, harder?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that, one, we'll let all the
political pundits and political analysts pontificate about those
issues. The President is going to stay focused on talking about where
he wants to lead America going forward, and how we need to continue to
provide strong leadership in the world when it comes to protecting the
American people and making the world a safer and better place, and
spreading our compassion. And he will continue talking about our
efforts to strengthen the economy at home and building upon the
progress that we have made in the last few years to get the economy
growing stronger.

Q So he'll talk about his own record, but he won't be talking
about the Edwards/Kerry record?

MR. McCLELLAN: Oh, I think that you will see us continue to point
out the differences and the choices that the voters face this
November.

Q Scott, a lot of those political watchers are saying that John
Edwards, one thing that he has is the ability to connect with people,
to communicate, he's got charisma, he's good on camera, he's young,
he's vibrant. Compare that to Vice President Cheney, who's, obviously,
a bit older and been around a lot longer. Is the White House concerned
that when you pair those two up it's going to be a win for Edwards?

MR. McCLELLAN: Kate, we look forward to discussing the differences
and discussing the records. The President and the Vice President both
look forward to a spirited discussion of the issues. The Vice
President is someone who brings tremendous experience and expertise to
the White House. And the President is pleased to have someone of his
capability in that position, someone who he knows is fully capable of
assuming the responsibilities of the Office of the President if
needed.

Q Is that an insinuation that Edwards may be not capable?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm just stating -- I'm just pointing out a fact.

Q I wanted to follow up on Helen's question. Charles Duelfer,
the head of the Iraqi weapons inspection team, recently reported the
discovery of a small quantity of chemical weapons containing mustard
gas and sarin. Polish forces also found weapons containing sarin.
These are undoubtedly weapons of mass destruction and certainly would
be seen as such if they were to be detonated, say, inside the New York
subway system. So why isn't the administration saying that WMDs have
been found in Iraq?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think those questions may be best directed
to the Iraq Survey Group and to Charles Duelfer. He has commented on
those. As he pointed out in the interview recently, he said they were
continuing to do their work and continuing to pursue other locations
where there have been reports of weapons. And they're continuing to
look into the question of what happened to the weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq, because we know that Saddam Hussein had weapons of
mass destruction because he had used them on his own people, as well as
on a neighboring country. And so those are issues that the Iraq Survey
Group continues to look at and uncover. They're working to find out
the truth and determine what happened to those weapons of mass
destruction.

Q What's the magic number for proclaiming that there are
weapons of mass destruction in Iraq?

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, I think it's important to let them continue
to do their work and continue to find out what the truth is.

Q Scott, today, responding to the RNC's comments, the Kerry
campaign said that Edwards has more foreign policy experience than
George W. Bush did when he entered office. Would you agree with that
characterization?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think that the campaign has put out a statement
regarding the announcement today. They talked forward -- they talked
about how we welcome Senator Edwards to the race, and they also pointed
out some of the clear differences in this race. I think those are
questions that the campaign would be glad to talk to you further
about.

Q Scott, does the White House have any comment about the
incident between Mexican army soldiers and Marines during the burial
ceremony of Juan Lopez, who was killed in Iraq?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think that Ambassador Garza made some remarks,
put out a statement regarding that incident, and he talked about how
the family had requested that he be buried in his town of birth with
full military honors. And I would leave it where Ambassador Garza
stated it.

Q And you have nothing to add?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, he's the Ambassador for us in Mexico, and he
has commented on that very matter.

Q Do you think this will affect the relation between Mexico and
the U.S.?

MR. McCLELLAN: We have good relations with Mexico, and the
President certainly views President Fox as a friend. But this
particular incident, I would refer you to Ambassador Garza over the
weekend.

Q Scott, how did the President find out this morning that
Edwards was Kerry's choice?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, this morning, one, he got into work pretty
early, a little bit before 7:00 a.m., and he's been tending to official
business most of the morning, attending -- going to his usual
intelligence briefings in the morning, as well as meeting with Prime
Minister Oddsson.

I don't know specifically who was the first to inform him. I know
that staff at some point during some of those meetings, or prior to
some of those meetings, informed him of the announcement. And you
heard directly from the President. He welcomes Senator Edwards to the
race.

Q Was he surprised? Is that who he thought it would be?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know if I'd look at it that way. Those are
decisions that were made by the other ticket and by Senator Kerry. So
the President welcomes him to the race. And there are some clear
choices going forward.

Q So let me see if I've got this straight. The President will
continue to talk about the issues and the record. And the RNC and the
campaign will continue to put out statements about Kerry's
disingenuousness and liberal tendencies?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think that --

Q You'll have sort of a two-track thing going here, right?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't -- I don't think I agree with your
characterization. I think that it's, like I said, perfectly legitimate
to point out the differences and to discuss the record. And that's
what campaigns are about. The voters deserve to know what the choices
are, and they deserve to have an honest discussion of the differences
and an honest discussion of the records.

Q What about the rhetoric? What about the rhetoric and the
changing of the tone?

MR. McCLELLAN: I just don't agree with the way you characterized
-- the way you characterize it.

Q But the moment you called a person disingenuous, Scott,
you're no longer talking about the record. You're talking about their
personality, aren't you, when you call him, disingenuous?

MR. McCLELLAN: As I said --

Q That's a personal --

MR. McCLELLAN: As I said, James, we've been through this issue. I
think I've addressed it. The President is going to continue to focus
on the issues and the differences and the choices that voters face.
And he'll continue to talk about his vision and his leadership for the
future of America.

Q Scott, one last thing, in all of your pronouncements about
the campaign and the way it's shaping up, implicit has been the
suggestion that President Bush and Vice President Cheney will win the
campaign. A, are you willing to make that explicit? Do you say that
they will win?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, that's a decision that the American people
will make. The President believes he has articulated a clear vision
for the country going forward and has a solid record of accomplishment
on the most important priorities that we face, from winning the war on
terrorism to strengthening our economy. And the American people will
make that decision in November. The President is proud of his record
and believes he has a clear vision for the direction this country
should head. And that stands in stark contrast to the ticket that we
are running against.